These super squishy, soft Cinnamon Raisin Rolls have a gooey brown sugar filling, juicy raisins, warm spices and a delicious cream cheese icing. A secret trick keeps them fluffy and tender, and prevents them from ever turning out dry!
Why You’ll LOVE This Cinnamon Raisin Roll Recipe
This variatiation on my unbelievably soft cinnamon rolls has the tastiest cinnamon sugar filling.
They’re plump with juicy dried fruit (like raisins, chopped prunes, or dried cranberries) and a whiff of orange and warm spices in the dough.
Perfect for Easter or Christmas morning (but also delicious any other time of year).
Generously slather on that cream cheese icing recipe if you know how to live.
SECRET TRICK for maximum softness
- Pour some extra milk into the bottom of the pan after you place the rolls in.
- The milk adds moisture, helping to steam the rolls as they bake. The dough absorbs the extra milk, and you’re left with the most pillowy-soft cinnamon buns of your life.
Have you ever tried this hack? (P.s. if you love a shortcut, you must also try my biscuit cinnamon rolls!)
Here’s What You Need for this Cinnamon Raisin Rolls Recipe
Gather your ingredients, get ready for some variations, and make sure you have the right tools for deliciously-spiced orange cinnamon rolls with raisins.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Instant Yeast
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Cloves
- Warm Milk
- Unsalted Butter
- Eggs
- Orange Zest: Gives a fresh, citrusy note. Optional, but I love it.
For the Filling:
- Brown Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon
- Softened Butter
- Raisins: they absorb liquid and keep the buns extra-moist in baking.
Variations and Substitutions
Customize these cinnamon rolls to suit your taste:
- Different Fruits: Swap raisins with chopped prunes, dried cranberries, or chopped apples.
- Spice It Up: Add nutmeg or ginger for extra spice.
- Nutty Twist: Include toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts in the filling.
How to Make This Soft Raisin Cinnamon Roll Recipe: An Easy Guide
Let me walk you through how to make the best cinnamon rolls:
Preparing the Cinnamon Roll Dough
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, and ground cloves.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix warm milk, melted butter, eggs, and orange zest.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Knead until smooth and elastic. Remember, the dough will be sticky.
- First Rise: Place the dough in a bowl greased with vegetable oil, cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let it rest in a warm place for about 30-45 minutes.
Making the Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- Mix Filling Ingredients: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
Assembling the Rolls
- Roll the Dough: On a lightly-floured surface, roll the dough into a 12×16-inch rectangle.
- Apply Filling: Spread softened butter over the dough. Then, sprinkle with the sugar-cinnamon mixture and chopped raisins.
- Roll and Slice: Roll the dough tightly from the long edge. Cut into 8 even slices. This recipe makes big, soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls. You can cut 16-18 for small rolls.
- Second Rise: Place the slices in a baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise for about 2 hours.
Baking the Rolls
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- SECRET TRICK FOR MAX SOFTNESS: Pour some milk into the bottom of the pan after you place the rolls in. This adds moisture, keeping the buns soft and squishy as they bake. The dough slurps up the extra milk, and you’re left with the most pillowy-soft cinnamon buns of your life.
- Bake: Bake for 30-40 minutes. Cover with foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning.
Preparing the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make the Cream Cheese Icing. Spread it on warm if you like it as more of a glaze, or wait until the buns cool if you like the frosting to remain thick and fluffy.
Make Ahead and Storage
Planning ahead and properly storing your Cinnamon Raisin Rolls will ensure they stay delicious for every occasion.
- Prep Dough Ahead: You can prepare the dough the night before and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight.
- Freeze After Shaping: After cutting the rolls and placing them in the pan, you can freeze them for later use. Just thaw and let them rise before baking.
- Refrigerating Baked Rolls: Store baked and frosted rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing Baked Rolls: You can also store the baked rolls in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw and reheat in the oven or microwave.
- Reheating: Warm them in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes or microwave for a few seconds to restore their fresh-baked warmth and texture.
How to Make the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls: Final Notes + Secrets
Unlock the full potential of your Cinnamon Raisin Rolls with these key takeaways:
- Dough Hydration: Resist the urge to add more flour. A slightly sticky cinnamon roll dough leads to softer, more tender rolls.
- Slow Rise Option: For more flavor development, let the dough rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. Let them come to room temperature before baking.
- Even Rolling: Ensure the dough is evenly rolled out for uniform cinnamon rolls.
- Tight Rolling: Roll the dough tightly when forming the rolls to keep the filling in place and ensure even baking.
- Don’t Overbake: Bake just until they are golden brown. I like to pull out my meat thermeter and check for an internal temperature of 190ºF. Overbaking can dry out the rolls.
- Frosting Temperature: Spread the frosting while the rolls are still warm for a delightful melt-in texture, or wait until cooled for icing swoops that stay put.
This recipe makes big, fluffy cinnamon raisin rolls that you’re going to LOVE. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
FAQs about Cinnamon Raisin Rolls
Just skimming through? Here are some quick answers to the commonly-asked questions about Cinnamon Raisin Rolls.
Adding milk to cinnamon rolls enriches the dough, giving it a softer texture and a richer flavor compared to using water.
Cinnamon rolls may not turn out light and fluffy if the dough is overworked, the yeast is inactive, or if they are overbaked.
Yes, you can use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast; just be sure to activate it in warm water first.
Cinnamon Raisin Rolls are done when they’re golden brown on top and reach an internal temperature of around 190°F.
Absolutely, you can omit the raisins or substitute them with another dried fruit like chopped dates or dried cranberries. Or try my favorite classic cinnamon roll recipe.
Using unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content in your rolls, but salted butter can be used in a pinch—just reduce the added salt.
Other Spiced Baking Recipes You’ll Love
- Gingerbread Christmas Pancakes (they’re so soft and delicious)
- Zucchini Bread
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Moist Carrot Cake Recipe with Buttermilk
- Grandma’s Hermit Cookies
Cinnamon Raisin Rolls (SO Soft and Tender!)
Video
Ingredients
For Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup warm milk 110°F – 120ºF
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tbsp orange zest
For the Filling:
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup raisins
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Additional:
- ¼ cup milk for baking pan
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt and cloves.
- In a separate bowl, combine the warm milk, melted butter, eggs and orange zest.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and start kneading. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 7-10 minutes by hand (or 3-4 minutes on medium-low speed of a stand mixer). The dough will look sticky; don’t add more flour. It will absorb the liquid as it rests. This is key to moist, tender cinnamon rolls.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for about 30-45 minutes to rest and hydrate.
To Make the Filling:
- In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
To Assemble:
- Roll the dough out into a 12×16-inch rectangle on a floured surface.
- Spread the softened butter over the rolled out dough, and then sprinkle the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle the raisins evenly overtop.
- Roll the dough tightly, starting from the long edge, and cut into 8 even slices. Place them in a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise again for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size (see overnight option in notes).
To Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Just before baking, pour the 1/4 cup of milk between the rolls into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes. Cover with foil or parchment after 20 minutes to prevent them getting too dark. Bake until golden brown and they 190ºF internal temperature around the outer parts of the buns (the middle of the pan will continue baking with carryover cooking).
To Make the Frosting:
- In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
To Serve:
- Allow the rolls to cool slightly before spreading the frosting on top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
By far the best cinnamon rolls recipe I ever tried! Taste AND texture are spot on… perfection!
Thank you so much!😊
The recipe is a bit confusing when it comes to adding the milk to the pan for baking. It sounds like the rolls are left to rise somewhere outside the pan (maybe on the counter?), then once they have risen you uncover and place them one by one into the waiting pan. Do the rolls not deflate when they are transferred this way?
Hi Sara, you’re absolutely right – the instructions were a little confusing! (Sometimes I let them rise on the counter, sometimes right in the pan).
I really appreciate you taking the time to point that out to me. I’ve fixed the recipe card now! Let me know if there’s anything else that needs clarification. Hope you love these cinnamon rolls!
I’ve never made cinnamon rolls before, but this recipe was easy to follow. Loved them!
What is the secret trick to keeping the rolls soft? I always struggle with them drying out.
Hi Jessy, all of my best secrets are outlined in the article! Checking doneness with a thermometer, weighing ingredients (tap the “metric” button on my recipe card to see weights), and adding milk to the pan. I have faith that these will turn out perfectly for you! xo
I’m a huge fan of cinnamon raisin bread, so I can’t wait to try making these rolls!
You will LOVE these then!
This recipe mentions using orange zest. Can I substitute it with another citrus, like lemon or lime?
I’m not sure I’d use lime, but lemon yes!
These cinnamon rolls were heavenly!
This recipe prints out blank pages.
I’ll look into that, thanks for letting me know!